. . . the greatest Liszt disc so far this year is The Liszt Project by Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Deutsche Grammophon). At every turn, Aimard primes your ear to hear Liszt through his refractive influences, from the murky strangeness of Scriabin (represented by his Piano Sonata No. 9 "Black Mass") to Messiaen's ultra-descriptive La Traquet stapazin. When Liszt actually arrives, Aimard speaks the music in considered, flexible, well-formed sentences ¿ a typical manner of expression in the 19th century. The music never makes an impression through force, but with vivid coloring, in keeping with contemporary descriptions of Liszt's playing. Physically animated passages have a three-dimensional sense of motion: You feel as well as observe the resulting gesture. In the passages of thematic repetition, pianists often pay lip service to coloristic variation, but Aimard seems to assume there's not just a good reason for the repetition, but a great reason. Where any given piece falls on the greatness scale suddenly becomes secondary to the performance's sense of existential imperative. If only for the moment, this music is passionately convinced of its necessity to live. And that's good enough for me. Usually.

The brilliant French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard has an ingenious knack for juxtaposing old and new works to tease out fascinating resonances.

Record Review /
Anthony Tommasini,
The New York Times / 22. November 2011

His illuminating performances demonstrate Liszt's influence on two centuries' worth of Liszt influence on the avant-garde . . .

Record Review /
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times / 11. December 2011

Leave it to this commanding French pianist to show how a Liszt tribute can open out into the worlds of Wagner, Berg, Scriabin, Bartók, and Messiaen, with superb playing throughout. This is the Liszt disc for those who think they don't like Liszt.

Record Review /
Jeremy Eichler,
Boston Globe / 18. December 2011

. . . [As a contextualizing strategy, the program of the disc] is impeccable; as a listening experience, it is illuminating, exciting and moving . . . The Berg Sonata is expertly delineated . . . [Liszt: Piano Sonata]: The playful sparkle is truly impressive . . . The second disc, a journey from darkness to light, is just as impressive. A superbly bleak "Aux cypress de la Villa d'Este" leads to some rarely heard Bartók, an unexpected but perfect extension. Liszt's "Francois", given a performance of rare beauty, links to Messiaen's "Le traquet stapazin" (given with masterly authority). The Stroppa is a fascinating, darkly atmospheric piece . . . Aimard's use of colour is positively painterly. The live recording is beautiful in itself.

This impressive double album is surely one of the most intelligent recorded contributions to the Liszt Bicentenary of 2011 . . . [Wagner's Piano Sonata is] in Aimard's hands a more substantial utterance than usual . . . a thoughtful Berg op. 1 and a smouldering performance of Scriabin's "Black Mass" Sonata . . . a spellbinding account of Bartók's "Nénie" . . . a brilliant number from Messiaen's "Catalogue d'oiseaux" . . . In the Liszt, Aimard virtually eschews rhetoric -- even in the Sonata, which is all the more impressive for his rigorous control of dynamics, phrasing and pedal . . . The deeply sinister "Lugubre gondola" and "Unstern!" are projected with poetic insight, as is "Nuage gris". Nothing in Aimard's performances is done for mere effect: throughout, he projects Liszt with a solidity and refinement of invention. A superb achievement.